Wow! As soon as school is over for the year, Aussie holiday-makers come to Torquay and other spots along the Great Ocean Road. The caravan parks fill and every bit of accommodation is taken up with families and groups ready to relax. Beach cricket or footy, building sandcastles or just relaxing in the shade is the very essence of an Aussie summer.

English visitors are fascinated by the Aussie Christmas and imagine us eating turkey, ham and plum pudding in our bathers. Of course many of us still do! Most around here seem to opt for a barbecue with salads and seafood these days though. And I enjoy demonstrating my gourmet credentials with some new exotica - this year it was duck confit and our tradition of summer pudding.

Our pre-Christmas family gatherings culminated in a trip on the ferry between Queenscliff and Sorrento to meet with cousins on the Mornington Peninsula - always pleasant and relaxing. Quite often dolphins swim beside the ferry, although the only dolphin we saw was at the Sorrento pier enjoying leftover fish from a fishing boat.

As I sit here blogging, the plink-plonk of tennis balls against rackets just behind our house reminds me that at the end of January the Australian Open will be held in Melbourne, and all eyes will be watching the television until the winner is declared. This is the signal for the end of the school holidays.

Meanwhile all along the coast, every age of surfer and swimmer will be out enjoying the cool waters as temperatures climb above 30C. Inland, where I grew up, temperatures have reached 40C lately. Fortunately for us, here on the coast the heat is tempered by the daily sea breeze.

We love the excitement and buzz that this time of year brings to our small town as we see so many people enjoying what is ours all year round.

Let me tell you about how Michael swims and contributes to life savers in Victoria.

Around twenty years ago Michael first jumped into an early “Lorne Pier to Pub” event open to amateur swimmers who like ocean swims of around 1 kilometre. Many years later he moved to the Surfcoast to live and his friend Jan, a twenty-plus veteran of the event, inspired him to dive in again.

I see Michael quite often at the Peppers Gym in Torquay, swimming, swimming, and more swimming. Last night before settling down to a relaxing game of Bridge I asked Michael about his programme for this summer.

First on the list is the Rip View Swim Classic, a 1.4 km swim with up to 1500 swimmers on 29 December 2007. Point Lonsdale SLSC is the sponsor and beneficiary of the event.

He will be in Lorne on 5 January to swim the 1200 m from Pier to Pub, the largest open water swim on the planet with a capacity of 4300 swimmers. This year’s entries are closed but keep it in mind for next year.

Closer to home for him at Jan Juc are:

	Danger 1000 Ocean Swim The Danger 1000 ocean swim will be held at the Torquay Front Beach (Cosy Corner) on Saturday, 12 January 2008. Entries now open.
	Bells Bash Cliff Run The Bells Bash 8km cliff run between Jan Juc and Bells Beach will be held on the eve of the Danger 1000 Ocean Swim on Friday, 11 January 2008. Entries now open.

Michael will give the run a miss. The swim will take care of 12 January.

A week later, on 19 January, he’s off to Anglesea for the 1200 m Rock 2 Ramp event.

Australia Day, 26 January, has Michael back on the Bellarine for the Queenscliff Blue Water Challenge. Will he make it back on time for rehearsal in the Geelong Repertory play in which he is a cast member?

Will Michael participate in the 2008 Great Ocean Swim? Will he be swum out by 9 February and give Apollo Bay a miss?

Above all, Michael makes a great contribution to surf life-saving in Victoria through his entry fees - fees that support the clubs, clubs that perform a valued community service. A vital contribution is his presence, for without him and the thousands of other Michaels and Maudes, there wouldn’t be any events.

What does he get out of it? Only his health, bragging rights, groovy tee’s and the satisfaction of making a difference!

As a practising artist myself I love to be inspired by other artists’ work, so I was thrilled to hear about “the littoral edge” - the inaugural Lorne Sculpture Exhibition on the shores of Louttit Bay on the Great Ocean Road.

The event was held over 2 weeks, including the long weekend of the Melbourne Cup which is on the first Tuesday in November.

Strolling in bright sunlight beside the water to enjoy the wonderful creativity and variety of shapes - shiny aluminium “car and caravan”, round dry stone “keep”, fibreglass figures hanging on a clothesline, shaped pieces of rusted steel - is hard to beat.

The open air bayside exhibition is the brainchild of Graeme Wilkie of Qdos Gallery, which itself is worth a visit as it is set amidst tall mountain ash and is a delightful venue for weddings, parties, and anything with a touch of modern art.

We turned our trip into a full day by next visiting the Fisherman’s Co-op to order fresh fish for dinner, and then strolling from the pier to the Surf Club for a brilliant seafood lunch at the iconic Lorne Pub overlooking the horseshoe-shaped bay.

The food and service is always good here, so we knew the scallops would be fresh and the fish local. On a fine day you can see all the way to the Split Point lighthouse as well as watching young surfers below practising in the short waves. Today was unusual in that there was a sea mist that hovered for most of the day, suffusing the air with mystery.

Further down the road on the same day a special event gave a large number of Porsche car drivers the freedom to drive the gorgeous winding road without traffic for three hours. What a treat! After the race they would enjoy a big night out in a huge marquee on the foreshore near the Surf Club.

I’d certainly recommend building this event into your itinerary for next year.

Last Sunday we joined our granddaughters and their parents for a casual lunch. The café scene easily seduces Tim, but it takes a family visit to remind me to relax and enjoy it.

Tim’s favourite for a morning coffee is Mejavo’s, which is a café cum deli that faces the north for sun and has a friendly long table, as does the Sandbah Café (see Extras).

We chose the Sandbah for our Sunday lunch. Any warm day you will find crowds flowing onto the footpath at this iconic Torquay café in Gilbert Street. There is room outside for the many dog owners to tether their dogs with a bowl of water, bike riders to hitch their bikes, and elders travelling in motorised carts to find space.

The girls wanted only chippies! Their mum and dad had a veggie burger and a wrap. Tim had fish and chips and I had a really fresh salad with lamb.

Our lunch reminded me that sitting in the sun, watching people stroll by is one my greatest pleasures in life - second only to a meal in my favourite restaurant. I will post about that next time.

The second of our two-day Great Ocean Road return trip sees us leave the Twelve Apostles after a morning of photo stops, followed by an hour’s delay while we search fruitlessly for a lost earring!

So by the time we drive back to Apollo Bay and up into the hills to Forrest, it’s a late lunch for us. What we do know now is that in winter the one place you can grab a warm bite to eat after 2pm is La Bimba.

We have arranged to chat with Bruce Jackson at Otway Eco Tours on our way home. I have seen platypus at Healesville Sanctuary in the Dandenongs on the other side of Melbourne, but never in the wild.

So, here we are sitting on Bruce’s porch in Forrest, chatting about the wonderful wildlife that he regularly shows people in the area around his home.

Bruce and his family moved from Melbourne via Torquay – as a keen surfer he still visits Torquay often. He has a degree in biological science and chooses to utilise his knowledge by showing people the secret lives of our native animals.

While we’re with Bruce, we get to see both a male and female bowerbird – a thrill for me as I am mad about birds and didn’t even know that bowerbirds are common in the Otways. Bruce says we were particularly lucky to see the male as he is quite shy and there are fewer males around.

We make plans to return to Forrest with our family in the summer to paddle along Lake Elizabeth and see the platypus.

Around 4pm we’re on the road again, in an attempt to reach Birregurra before the shops close. There are two shops I particularly want to visit: Chez Georgie and Mr Ted and The Birregurra Bower. Don’t worry boys, there is a good café and a bookshop too!

This is real country driving and it’s essential to follow the map and the signs carefully. This tiny town once had one of the most famous country restaurants run by George Biron at Sunnybrae – one of our favourite haunts. George only runs occasional events now, and we always try to book because his style of cooking relates so strongly to place, so the food is always fresh and beautifully presented. Get in touch with us for more information if this sounds like your kind of thing.

An hour and a half of clothes and handbag shopping later, I am very happy and Tim has been engagingly entertained by another George, the dress shop owner’s husband, with good coffee and chat.

Our final leg home is in the dark and takes us another 45 minutes.

Along with some special purchases, we have brought back to Torquay a fresh appreciation of the wonderful area we are privileged to live in. This is why we have chosen to devote ourselves to showing visitors the real experience of the Great Ocean Road, not just a fleeting view of the sights from the window of a bus.

While this is a great two-day tour, it really isn’t long enough. If you are coming a long distance to see this wonderful region, we advise staying an extra day or two. Start out with us in Torquay and take your time exploring the region with day trips out of Torquay, or a 2-4-day tour of the road, returning to Torquay for a few more days of R&R at the end.

If you can spare no more than a day, you could drive from Torquay to Apollo Bay and fly over the Apostles before driving back. But staying a while is far more preferable. We can help with bookings for accommodation, meals and tours - just get in touch to discuss your requirements with us.

Still on the first of our two-day trip along the Great Ocean Road, we’re an hour out of Lorne driving west.

The most wonderful vistas have continually begged us to stop and take yet another photo of the most fabulous beaches, but we have pressed on to our lunch destination.

We have a very soft spot for the brilliant fresh food served in the spectacular Chris’s Beacon Point Restaurant up the hill at Skenes Creek. Impossible to drive past here without sampling something – and the view is to die for too.

Today I have blue eye fillet on mash with red wine jus. Mmmmmm! Tim has calamari with blue cheese and walnut dressing and a Greek salad.

This restaurant was rebuilt after being totally destroyed by a bushfire four years ago. The refurbishment has ensured that every diner has access to that spectacular view, yet they have managed to maintain the warm feeling of a Greek taverna that it has always had.

Chris is 70 now, having migrated from Greece as a young man, and he still pops into the restaurant every day. The next party of diners arrives as we leave. Any weekend and all summer this place is packed to the rafters day and night.

There are cottages right outside the door if you don’t want to drive after your delicious meal. (Contact us for more information.) We, however, are on a mission and must press on – without dessert.

Skene’s Creek is only 6 km from Apollo Bay, which we slip through today, but is worth a stop for the beach, the pub and La Bimba – a warmly welcoming café. And if you have very little time, this is where you can catch a plane for “flightseeing” over the Twelve Apostles with Apollo Bay Aviation.

We want to see how far we can comfortably travel today. Can we get to the end of the road, or even to Warrnambool or Port Fairy?

By the way, if you’re intending to drive to Warrnambool in winter, call ahead (1800 637 725) to find out if the southern right whales are swimming off Logan’s Beach. You can often see them just 100 metres offshore – a real treat.

Our drive now covers the wettest area of the state of Victoria, where rainfall is normally measured in feet rather than inches! And yes, it’s raining – and everything is green. Cows graze in the valleys, and eucalypts, ferns, beech and wattle line the roads, which are single lane with double lines frequently reminding us not to pass. There are plenty of rest stops so you can pull in and appreciate the scenery.

We pass signs for Mait’s Rest Forest Walk, which gives you easy access to wonderful temperate rainforest, Cape Otway Lighthouse and Johanna Beach (often used as an alternative to Bells Beach for the Easter Surf Pro Competition). These would all be worthwhile diversions with time to spare. Not for us today.

Pine plantations surround us as we head over the hills to Port Campbell. Gibson’s Steps provide our first opportunity to view the rocky outcrops that this coast is famous for – the Twelve Apostles – and it’s easy to see why everyone gets excited about them. Their naturally sculpted beauty is magnetic.

But once again, because of our mission, we decide to savour the Apostles on the way back, and instead we cruise past each outcrop to the “end of the road” at Allansford, and Cheese World – a free museum devoted to the dairy industry!

It takes us an extra hour of driving, including a stop to allow milking cows to cross the road, and it’s really only worth doing this last stretch if you have a particular interest in dairying or want to buy some delicious cheeses and chocolates for the return journey – as we do!

Next post: Overnight stop and The Twelve Apostles

Well, here we are driving our beloved Great Ocean Road once again. We are testing a two-day itinerary from our home in Torquay – at the start of the road – and we’re interested to see how far along we can get, comfortably.

Along the way, we’ll bring a few tips for places to stop, admire, photograph, shop, dine or sleep.

This first post sees us leave Torquay and make our way along the road (the B100) to the seaside township of Lorne - a stretch known as the Surf Coast.

Naturally we start by paying homage to the famous Bells Beach where a dozen or so keen surfers in thick winter wetsuits are making the most of some reliable waves.

The first tourist bus of the day has already departed ahead of us as we join the winding road through the Great Otway Park. It’s a quiet stretch, and we have to work hard to remember that some folks might need the other side of the road to come the opposite way. Luckily, regular signs remind us to keep to the left!

Most of the road is now limited to 80 kilometres per hour, and in many places we drive slower due to the curves and switchbacks. These are what make the road beloved by motorbike riders, who come in their hundreds at weekends. Their favourite haunt is the Arab Café in Lorne, where you will see every kind of bike lined up as the riders drink coffee and compare notes.

Today we slip past Point Addis and the Ironbark Forest Koori Walk, which we already know to have a spectacular cliff-top view over glorious beaches – worth a stop and an uphill walk on a fine day.

Anglesea, sitting at the join of the Anglesea River and the sea, is a big favourite with Melbourne holidaymakers. The heath-covered slopes provide a backdrop on one side of the road to the ocean on the other.

Today we are lucky to have few fellow travellers. The grey day is contrasted with the bright yellow of the first wattles heralding spring just around the corner. It has been a long, cold winter and we’re looking forward to some warm sunshine. The temperature today is predicted to reach about 14C.

We pass by Aireys Inlet Lighthouse as we have been there before. We used to holiday in this town prior to our move from Melbourne to Torquay, so we’re already familiar with the lovely view from the lighthouse down the coast to Lorne.

Instead, we stop in a parking bay to take pictures of the new Memorial Arch sculpture completed this year to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the building of the Great Ocean Road by soldiers returned from World War 1.

There are a number of smaller commemorative plaques along the road. We stop to photograph one about a white man named Buckley who lived for many years with the Wathaurung Aboriginal people of this area.

I love the way the view of Lorne peeps out and then hides as we weave our way around the bends – this is one of my favourite views because we are right against a cliff face on one side with the swirling ocean on our other side. Awaiting us ahead are Lorne’s horseshoe shaped Louttit Bay, accessible sands and groovy shops.

The Visitor Information Centre is just round the corner after you cross the little bridge at the entrance to the town and is well worth a visit. We buy some souvenirs to take when we visit Canada later this year – a platypus, koala and kangaroo. Maps, DVDs, books and other information about the Great Ocean Road are available here too. And there’s a toilet.

Next, we climb up the VERY steep back streets of Lorne to visit Teddy’s Lookout (follow the signs and keep going to the end of the road). This is a lovely surprise - we stand as if hovering like birds viewing the winding road to the west (the photo at the top of this post is taken from the Lookout). Viewing platforms and tables for morning tea make this a delightful detour.

Next post: stopping for lunch and continuing on to Allansford.